Our trip to Las Vegas was three weeks ago. Some might say it's too late to write about it. I say now is the perfect time. It isn't so long past that I've forgotten the important details, but it's long enough ago to attribute any inaccuracies to a fuzzy memory. Let's get to it, shall we?

Arriving (Or, We'll Get There When We Get There!)

When we arrived at San Francisco International Airport, Friday evening, we already knew our flight had been delayed thirty minutes. Instead of being annoyed, I was relieved. The delay gave us plenty of time to get through security, which we needed since TSA seemed keenly interested in my backpack this time around. After an intense three-minute x-ray examination, the agents determined the allergy medicine in my bag posed no threat to national security and let it through.

This gave me just enough time to grab a bowl of clam chowder for dinner before we boarded the plane. I was nearly done drowning myself with soup when an airline representative announced the flight would be delayed an additional thirty minutes.

Our plane landed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas around ten. By the time we reached the Excalibur, our "castle" for the weekend, the clock was closing in on midnight. At this point, most tourists would have dumped their luggage in their rooms and hit the bars and casinos. I did nothing of the sort. As soon as we unloaded our luggage, I hit McDonald's for a salad (the healthiest food I could find within walking distance), the shower, and then the sack. Yes, I was a dullard, but at least I was a clean, well-rested dullard.

Whole Foods (Or, The Most Expensive Bargains. Ever.)

Friday night, after registering, we decided to buy bottled water from one of the hotel's "convenience" kiosks. M worried we'd be thirsty during the night and didn't trust the tap water. We ended up buying three 20-ounce bottles of Aquafina at more than three dollars a pop. I drank a good eight ounces of water before dozing off just to feel the purchase wasn't a total waste of money.

The next morning, after B and J (M's sister and brother-in-law) picked us up, we stopped at the Whole Foods at the end of the Strip to buy water, juice, and snacks. For the same amount we spent the night before, we were able to get a 24-bottle flat of water. Only on the Vegas Strip would a specialty supermarket like Whole Foods be considered a bargain.

Valley of Fire (Or, I Fell Into a Burning Valley of Fire)

We were soon on our way to Valley of Fire State Park. From the Vegas Strip, one takes I-15 north and Highway 169 east to reach the park. On a good day, the drive takes roughly an hour and I assume that's how long it took since I was asleep the whole way there.

"But wait," you might exclaim. "Didn't you just claim you were a well-rested dullard?" And I would say, "Yes." And then we would sit here in awkward hypothetical silence.

Anyway, it's true. I was well-rested, but what you don't know is that three of us were seated in the back row of a minivan -- a cramped and uncomfortable back row. It didn't take long for the road to lull me into unconsciousness; my mind finding the fastest escape route. In a way, I was reliving my childhood, when I had the whole back row of our family's minivan to myself and would inevitably fall asleep on the late night drive home from our weekly visits to my grandparents; my dad skillfully steering us safely over the Santa Cruz mountains.

After paying the six-dollar entry fee, we proceeded to our first (and longest) stop: Beehives. Here, the reddish-orange sandstone formations were in sharp contrast with the blackish mountains in the distance.



After taking a few photos from the ground, I couldn't resist the temptation to climb to the top of a formation and survey the surrounding landscape. The scramble up the rock was short, but sweet. There were natural handholds and footholds everywhere and my sandals had surprisingly good grip on the slopes. I was only thirty or forty feet off the ground, hardly enough elevation to improve the views, but from where I stood, the vistas just seemed better.





From Beehives, we made a leave-the-engine-running stop at the Petrified Logs. J jumped out to take a photograph on behalf of everyone in the van and then we sped to Rainbow Vista. Here, the multicolored rock formations lived up to their name.



We then made a quick detour to Fire Canyon.



From there, we backtracked and made a brief visit to Arch Rock, one of the few formations where climbing is forbidden. Were one able to climb it, one would discover the arch is, in truth, tiny. I believe one could squeeze a head and arm through it before becoming wedged.



I should explain that a lot of our rushing around was out of consideration for B and J's two kids. The older one is 36 months old. The younger one is 9 months old. It only made sense that our schedule would depend on their comfort and needs, which meant we simply couldn't sit in one spot for too long or wander off for an hour or two. This trip gave me new respect for folks who travel with little ones. To me, traveling and raising children are challenging enough on their own. Combining the two seems almost insane, and yet people do it and do it successfully. They're amazing.

Anyway, after a fast bathroom break at the main entrance, we returned to Vegas. And yes, I slept the whole way back.

You can see more photos from Valley of Fire State Park on Flickr.